Golden A' Design Award Winner 2025
Menghao Zeng's Menhao Tea Archival Collection Case presents a sophisticated packaging system rendered in warm terracotta brown tones that immediately establishes visual warmth and earthen authenticity, the composition organized around two primary cubic forms displayed in a three-quarter arrangement that reveals multiple surfaces simultaneously while a graceful human hand enters from the left edge to demonstrate the book-like opening mechanism of the left unit, the chromatic palette restricted to a harmonious monochromatic scheme of raw sienna, burnt umber, and kraft paper tones suggesting natural unprocessed materials and traditional tea culture values, the surface treatment featuring debossed typography and an elegant dendritic tree diagram that branches organically across the front face creating visual metaphor for growth, heritage lineage, and the aging process central to fermented tea philosophy, the compositional architecture follows classical golden ratio proportions with the closed box positioned slightly forward and right of center while the opened unit recedes leftward at approximately forty-five degrees creating dynamic diagonal movement and spatial depth, lighting arrives from an upper left source casting subtle shadows beneath the boxes and creating gentle gradation across the matte cardboard surfaces that emphasizes the tactile quality of uncoated paper stock, the typographic hierarchy presents bold calligraphic characters at top reading as brand identity followed by secondary English translation and tertiary informational text organized in clear vertical columns, the metallic industrial shelving visible in the background provides contemporary contrast to the traditional tea packaging aesthetic while neutral backdrop ensures chromatic focus remains on the warm brown palette, edge treatment throughout maintains crisp geometric precision suggesting machine-cut production quality while the debossed ornamental elements add dimensionality through shadow play, the overall atmospheric resonance evokes contemplative ritual, patient aging processes, and the meditative qualities associated with traditional tea ceremony culture, stylistically positioned within contemporary minimal packaging design that honors East Asian aesthetic traditions while embracing modern structural innovation.
Menhao Tea is a packaging system for tea, shaped as an archival collection case. The design maps six tea categories on a phylogenetic tree, with origin coordinates, craft timelines and flavor scales. Each inner capsule states geographic coordinates, tree age and processing details, replacing vague tasting terms with measurable values. The case is made of washable kraft paper and closes with a cotton cord, so the box can be reused. Bronze and silver foil stamping marks tea branch motifs and parameters. Each box holds 66 sachets of 3.6 grams.